(i) Many people got worried about the effects of the novel on readers who were taken away from their real surroundings into an imaginary world where anything could happen. Women and children were advised not to read novels as they were seen as easily corruptible.
(ii) Some parents kept novels in the lofts of their houses, out of their children's reach. Young people often read them in secret. This passion was not limited only to the youth. Older women-some of whom could not read- listened with fascinated attention to popular Tamil novels read out to them by their grandchildren.
(iii) But women did not remain mere readers of stories written by men. Soon they also began to write novels.
(iv) A reason for the popularity of novels among women was that it allowed for a new conception of womanhood. Stories of love- which was a staple theme of many novels-showed women who could choose or refuse their partners and relationships. Some women authors also wrote about women who changed the world of both men and women .. (v) Rokeya Hossein (1880-1932) in Sultana's Dream (1905) showed a topsyturvy world in which women take the place of men. Her novel, Padmarag also showed the need for women to reform their condition by their own actions. (vi) Hannah Mullens, a Christian missionary and the author of Karunao Phulmonir Bibaran (1852), reputedly the first novel in Bengali, tells her readers that she wrote in secret.
(vii) In the twentieth century, Sailabala Ghosh Iaya, a popular novelist, could only write because her husband protected her. As we have seen in the case of the south, women and girls were often discouraged from reading novels. 

(i) World of women: The most exciting element of the novel was the involvement of women. The eighteenth century saw the middle classes become more prosperous. Women got more leisure to read as well as write novels. And novels began exploring the world of women - their emotions and identities, their experiences and problems. Many novels were about domestic life - a theme about which women Were allowed to speak with authority. They drew upon their experience, wrote about family life and earned public recognition. The novels of Jane Austen give us a glimpse of the world of women.
(ii) Women character as independent and assertive: But women novelists did not simply popularise the domestic role of women. Often their novels dealt with women who broke established norms of society before adjusting to them. Such stories allowed women readers to sympathise with rebellious actions. In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, published in '1847, young Jane is shown as independent and assertive. While girls of her time were expected to be quiet and well behaved, Jane at the age of ten protests against the hypocrisy of her elders with startling bluntness. (iii) New conception of womanhood: Another reason for the popularity of novels among women was that it allowed for a new conception of womanhood. Stories of love - which was a staple theme of many novels - showed women who could choose or refuse their partners and relationships. It showed women who could to some extent control their lives. Some women authors also wrote about women who changed the world of both men and women.
(iv) Women novelist: There were many women novelist who wrote about family life, autobiographies their personal experiences as women and earned public recognisation. Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Rokeya Hossein, Rashsundari Devi all wrote exclusively on women.

(i) Novels like Indirabai and Indulekha were written by members of the upper castes, and were primarily about the uppercaste characters. But all novels were not of this kind.
(ii) Potheri Kunjambu, a 'lower-caste' writer from north Kerala, wrote a novel called Saraswativijayam in 1892, mounting a strong blow on caste oppression. This novel shows a young man from an 'untouchable' caste, leaving his village to escape the cruelty of his Brahmin landlord. He converted himself to Christianity, obtained modem education and returned as the judge in the local court. Saraswativijayam stressed the importance of education for the upliftment of the lower castes.
(iii) From the 1920s, in Bengal too a new kind of novel emerged that depicted the lives of peasants and 'low' castes. Advaita Malla Burmaris (1914-51) Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (1956) is an epic about the Mallas, a community of fisherfolk who live off fishing in the river, Titash.
(iv) While novelists before Advaita MalIa had featured 'low castes' as their main character, Titash is special because the author is himself a 'low caste:
(v) The central character of Munshi Premchand's novel Rangboomi, Surdas is. a visually impaired beggar from a so-called 'untouchable caste'

(i) Novels like Indirabai and Indulekha were written by members of the upper castes, and were primarily about the uppercaste characters. But all novels were not of this kind.
(ii) Potheri Kunjambu, a 'lower-caste' writer from north Kerala, wrote a novel called Saraswativijayam in 1892, mounting a strong blow on caste oppression. This novel shows a young man from an 'untouchable' caste, leaving his village to escape the cruelty of his Brahmin landlord. He converted himself to Christianity, obtained modem education and returned as the judge in the local court. Saraswativijayam stressed the importance of education for the upliftment of the lower castes.
(iii) From the 1920s, in Bengal too a new kind of novel emerged that depicted the lives of peasants and 'low' castes. Advaita Malla Burmaris (1914-51) Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (1956) is an epic about the Mallas, a community of fisherfolk who live off fishing in the river, Titash.
(iv) While novelists before Advaita MalIa had featured 'low castes' as their main character, Titash is special because the author is himself a 'low caste:
(v) The central character of Munshi Premchand's novel Rangboomi, Surdas is. a visually impaired beggar from a so-called 'untouchable caste'

(i) Novels like Indirabai and Indulekha were written by members of the upper castes, and were primarily about the uppercaste characters. But all novels were not of this kind.
(ii) Potheri Kunjambu, a 'lower-caste' writer from north Kerala, wrote a novel called Saraswativijayam in 1892, mounting a strong blow on caste oppression. This novel shows a young man from an 'untouchable' caste, leaving his village to escape the cruelty of his Brahmin landlord. He converted himself to Christianity, obtained modem education and returned as the judge in the local court. Saraswativijayam stressed the importance of education for the upliftment of the lower castes.
(iii) From the 1920s, in Bengal too a new kind of novel emerged that depicted the lives of peasants and 'low' castes. Advaita Malla Burmaris (1914-51) Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (1956) is an epic about the Mallas, a community of fisherfolk who live off fishing in the river, Titash.
(iv) While novelists before Advaita MalIa had featured 'low castes' as their main character, Titash is special because the author is himself a 'low caste:
(v) The central character of Munshi Premchand's novel Rangboomi, Surdas is. a visually impaired beggar from a so-called 'untouchable caste'

(i) Beginning of the novels: The modern novel form developed in India in the nineteenth century, as Indians became familiar with the Western novel. The development of the vernaculars, print and a reading public helped in this process.
(ii) Earliest Novels: Some of the earliest Indian novels were written in Bengali and Marathi. The earliest novel in Marathi was Baba Padrnanji's Yamuna Paryatan (1857), which used a simple style of storytelling to speak about the plight of widows. This was followed by Lakshman Moreshwar Halbe's Muktamala (1861). This was not a realistic novel, it presented an imaginary 'romance' narrative with a moral purpose.
(iii) Colonial period and novels: Novels began appearing in south Indian languages during the period of colonial rule. Quite a few early novels came out of attempts to translate English novels into Indian languages. For example, Chandu Menon, a subjudge from Malabar, tried to translate an English novel called Henrietta Temple written by Benjamin Disraeli into Malayalam. But he quickly realised that his readers in Kerala were not familiar with the way in which the characters in English novels lived. So, he gave up this idea and wrote a delightful novel called Indulekha, which published in 1889 and, was the first modem novel in Malayalam.
(iv) First Hindi novel: Many novels were actually translated and adapted from English and Bengali, but the first proper modern novel i.e. Pariksha Guru was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi.

(i) New type of man : Novels for young boys idealised a new type of man.  Someone who was powerful, assertive, independent and daring.  Most of these novels were full of adventure set in places remote from Europe.
(ii) Colonisers as hero and honourable: The colonisers appear heroic and honourable Books like R.L Stevenson's' Treasure Island (1883) or Rudyard Kipling's jungle Book (1894) became great hits.
(iii) English Courage: G.A Hentyls historical adventure novels for boys were also widely popular during the height of the British empire.  They aroused the excitement and adventure of conquering strange lands.  They were always about young boys who witness grand historical events, get involved in some military action, and show what they called the 'English' courage.
(iv) Love stories and the young : Love stories written for adolescent girls also first became popular in this period, especially in the United States, notably Ramona (1884) by Helen Hunt  Jackson and a series entitles What Katy Did (1872) by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, who wrote under the pen-name Susan Coolidge.

(i) New type of man : Novels for young boys idealised a new type of man.  Someone who was powerful, assertive, independent and daring.  Most of these novels were full of adventure set in places remote from Europe.
(ii) Colonisers as hero and honourable: The colonisers appear heroic and honourable Books like R.L Stevenson's' Treasure Island (1883) or Rudyard Kipling's jungle Book (1894) became great hits.
(iii) English Courage: G.A Hentyls historical adventure novels for boys were also widely popular during the height of the British empire.  They aroused the excitement and adventure of conquering strange lands.  They were always about young boys who witness grand historical events, get involved in some military action, and show what they called the 'English' courage.
(iv) Love stories and the young : Love stories written for adolescent girls also first became popular in this period, especially in the United States, notably Ramona (1884) by Helen Hunt  Jackson and a series entitles What Katy Did (1872) by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, who wrote under the pen-name Susan Coolidge.

(i) New type of man : Novels for young boys idealised a new type of man.  Someone who was powerful, assertive, independent and daring.  Most of these novels were full of adventure set in places remote from Europe.
(ii) Colonisers as hero and honourable: The colonisers appear heroic and honourable Books like R.L Stevenson's' Treasure Island (1883) or Rudyard Kipling's jungle Book (1894) became great hits.
(iii) English Courage: G.A Hentyls historical adventure novels for boys were also widely popular during the height of the British empire.  They aroused the excitement and adventure of conquering strange lands.  They were always about young boys who witness grand historical events, get involved in some military action, and show what they called the 'English' courage.
(iv) Love stories and the young : Love stories written for adolescent girls also first became popular in this period, especially in the United States, notably Ramona (1884) by Helen Hunt  Jackson and a series entitles What Katy Did (1872) by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, who wrote under the pen-name Susan Coolidge.

(i) New type of man : Novels for young boys idealised a new type of man.  Someone who was powerful, assertive, independent and daring.  Most of these novels were full of adventure set in places remote from Europe.
(ii) Colonisers as hero and honourable: The colonisers appear heroic and honourable Books like R.L Stevenson's' Treasure Island (1883) or Rudyard Kipling's jungle Book (1894) became great hits.
(iii) English Courage: G.A Hentyls historical adventure novels for boys were also widely popular during the height of the British empire.  They aroused the excitement and adventure of conquering strange lands.  They were always about young boys who witness grand historical events, get involved in some military action, and show what they called the 'English' courage.
(iv) Love stories and the young : Love stories written for adolescent girls also first became popular in this period, especially in the United States, notably Ramona (1884) by Helen Hunt  Jackson and a series entitles What Katy Did (1872) by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, who wrote under the pen-name Susan Coolidge.